Application specific integrated circuits (ASIC) are mounted onto printed circuit boards (PCB) of line cards by ball grid arrays (BGA). A BGA is a series of small spheres of solder placed on the bottom of an ASIC. The solder spheres may be held in place with a flux. The ASIC with the BGA is then placed on a PCB with copper pads that match the array design of the solder balls. Once heated, the solder spheres melt, and then, when the solder cools and solidifies, the solder spheres form soldered connections between the ASIC and the PCB. During use, ASICs can create a significant amount of heat. Thermally conductive heat sinks are typically installed over ASICs to draw the heat from the ASIC away from the ASIC, and is so doing, prevent ASICs from overheating during operation.
As ASICs increase in size and in processing power, the heat created by the ASICs also increases. Thus, the size of the heat sinks needed to properly dissipate the increased amount of heat output by an ASIC needs to also increase. However, as the heat sinks increase in size, the heat sinks increase in weight. The increased weight of heat sinks to compensate for the increased heat output by the ASICs is challenging as ASICs and line cards are subjected to shocks and vibrations, and/or unexpected forces from handling and transportation.